“Oh.”
“Yeah,” she responded, as if acknowledging my disappointment. “I hate it. But apparently, I just haven’t progressed as far as they need me to yet. I have to have skin that won’t break down with the friction the prosthetic will cause, and then I have to be able to prove I have flexibility with it. I have to wear a shrinking sock and continue to do exercises for a while, and then if that works out, they can do the fitting once they’ve seen the progress.”
“And there’s no idea how long that might be?” I asked.
“They said it could take a few weeks…”
The pause was only there a moment. I knew my job in this particular situation was to be as supportive as possible. If I wanted something more than just two nights with her, I needed to show her that I would be willing to wait for her, to be there for her when she came back.
Though, as dejected as she sounded, I had half a mind to offer to come up and stay with her. A part of me yearned to say it and suggest that perhaps spending the time together in the hotel room might make it more bearable. But I had a job, and she had Dee.
Instead, I swallowed the idea whole and moved on. The best thing I could do in this situation now was just to keep her morale up.
“Well, then it will just be a few weeks,” I said. “No big deal. You can do this, and I promise I will keep sending inane pictures to you to keep you laughing.”
“I appreciate that,” she said. “You got me to laugh out loud in the doctor’s office this morning.”
“Good. I was hoping I would get you at least once.” I laughed. “So, a shrinking sock? Does that mean what I think it means?”
“Pretty much,” she said. “It helps reduce swelling and reshape the leg where it’s been amputated so it fits better in the prosthetic. I have one at home, but I didn’t wear it as much as I should because it creates a pretty tight pressure that’s uncomfortable. But now I don’t have a choice. That and Dee went out and bought me three of them.”
“She’s a good big sister,” I said.
“The best.”
“You will get through this. You are stronger than this, and I know it is disappointing, but it will be worth it when it’s all over.”
“I know,” she said. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” I kind of lied. “I am a wealth of good vibes.”
I guess if I was going to fib, fib big.
“Well, I need that,” she said. “I will take all the good vibes I can get.”
“So, are you coming home tonight?”
“One more night,” she said. “Then home for a few weeks.”
“Good. I don’t know how many more emojis I know.”
25
MALIA
Dee came out of the hotel with a wheelchair and gave me a look like she wasn’t in the mood to listen to me complain. I didn’t say a word and transferred out of the car and into the chair. I was too tired and disappointed to put up much of a fuss. I reached for a couple of the smaller bags that were in the front seat with me and held them on my lap as she wheeled me into the lobby to check in.
The front desk was able to find us an accessible room and offered to help with our bags. Dee looked at me.
“I can get my own bags,” I said.
“I know you can,” she said. “But you really should get some rest. A bath would feel really fantastic right now. We’ll get a luggage cart and get everything up fast and easy.”
“You could have just put me on the luggage cart,” I quipped.
The desk clerk’s eyes widened like he wasn’t sure if I was being serious, but Dee laughed.
“You know, I should have,” she said. “We could have been so much more efficient with this entire process.”
“Alright, give me one of the keycards. I can get myself to the room, and I’ll see you in a bit.”
She handed me one of the cards, and I glanced at it to see the room number. It was on the fourth floor. So much for accessible, but at least there was an elevator across the lobby. I wheeled myself over to it and hit the button before glancing back toward my sister. She was already headed out to the parking lot, which I appreciated.
I knew she was just being loving and protective when she hovered over me and tried to do too much for me. She was just trying to make sure that I was safe and that I knew she was there for me. I was grateful for her and loved her, but it was also nice to know she understood I was alright and could handle things on my own. In fact, not only could I handle things on my own, but I needed to.